Making fermented hot sauce is an easy process that results in a delicious fiery chili condiment, much tastier and way better than store-bought versions.
The hotness and flavor can be adjusted to your liking because you control which peppers and ingredients are used.
We use lacto fermentation to create this Sriracha-style hot sauce, which makes it not only tangy and well-balanced but, also packed full of healthy probiotics.
The same beginner-friendly, easy fermentation method is used for lacto-fermented dill pickles, sauerkraut, Korean kimchi, and fermented carrots.
Lacto fermentation explained
Fermentation is a simple yet magical process. Ordinary food gets turned into healthier, more delicious versions of themselves using the power of microbes.
The microbe responsible for lacto fermentation is called Lactobacillus. Lactic acid-producing bacteria, that thrives in conditions where harmful microbes, have a hard time surviving.
For Lactobacillus to do its magic, we need an oxygen-free environment, a low level of salt (2%) usually, and fresh good quality, clean ingredients.
After a few days left at room temperature, you'll have a delicious gut healthy probiotic-rich, healthy ferment with a unique sourness and tang only found in lacto-fermented foods.
Difference between fermented and regular hot sauce
Regular hot sauce is a shelf stable, cooked, and unfermented sauce made with peppers, sugar, vinegar and possibly other flavorings. It lacks natural tangines, has no health benefits like fermented hot sauce and is usually an inferior hot sauce to use.
Fermented hot sauce has been through the lacto fermentation stage. It often but not always contain a variety of peppers, salt, garlic and maybe a touch of sugar to balance the flavor.
Generally fermented hot sauce is a more desirable sauce, and with brands like Tabasco and Sriracha leading the market, it's easy to see this.
Fermented hot sauce is tastier, and contains gut healthy bacteria because it has not been pasteurised.
Best chilies for making hot sauce
You can use a single variety of chili or mix them as you like to accommodate your comfortable level of spiciness while getting the maximum flavor.
In this hot sauce recipe, we use cayenne peppers (30,000 Scoville units). They are mild enough and flavorful enough to use with a wide variety of foods and make the hot sauce easier to use in other recipes.
If you like a more fiery hot sauce, then try some of the following peppers or experiment by mixing them. Ranked from mildest to hottest with average Scoville units(SHU) score.
- Cubanelle Pepper – 2,000 SHU
- Jalapeño Pepper – 6,000 SHU
- Serrano Pepper – 15,000 SHU
- Thai Bird's Eye Pepper – 80,000 SHU
- Habanero Pepper – 250,000 SHU
- Ghost pepper - 1,041,427 SHU
If you are not experienced with eating hot peppers, I suggest you start with a low number and work your way up.
A pepper like the ghost pepper is extremely hot, and a tiny drop can cause big problems if you are sensitive to hot food.
My personal heat tolerance is a few drops of Bird's Eye hot sauce. Any hotter and it becomes unenjoyable.
Take these factors into consideration when experimenting and make small batches to try out instead of using the full recipe.
There's an easy-to-use scaling function in the recipe card for you to use.
Useful equipment
You don't need fancy equipment when doing lacto fermentation. Yes, it's nice having a special ceramic fermentation crock, but it's not a must. Anything non reactive will do.
However, it is handy to have a 1.5 L glass jar. A lid is not essential as I've shown already.
Some people like using screw top airlock lids or rubber lid airlocks which does save you from having to manually burp your ferments, but it's not essential and nitrile gloves does the same thing. I also recommend you wear them when dealing with hot peppers to avoid unwanted skin irritation.
If you don't like using plastic then you can use a steamed cabbage leaf to seal off the ferment from the air, or you can use glass fermentation weights. They function best when your ferment is chopped, or tightly packed like kimchi. Otherwise, they sink to the bottom.
For the smoothest most authentic Sriracha style result, you need to blend the fermented peppers with a high speed blender or at least with a hand held blender then press the mix through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of the unblended seeds and skin.
1.5 L Fermentation Jar
Electronic Kitchen Scales
Gyuto Japanese Chefs Knife
Fermentation jars
Ingredients
- Chilli — Any type you prefer. I recommend red and medium hot cayenne peppers.
- Garlic — Fresh and local, but use whatever fresh garlic you can get.
- Salt — Non-iodized natural sea salt works best. Iodized salts have a slight bitterness and anti-microbial effect, which we don't want.
- Sugar — Just regular granulated white sugar is good.
- Vinegar (optional) — I use rice vinegar, but you could go for apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar too.
- Xanthan gum (optional) — This is a natural thickener used in many hot sauces, especially Sriracha. It helps to keep the sauce homogenous, otherwise the solids may separate from the liquid. It can easily be found in most stores or online.
- Water — Clean drinkable water.
Quantities in the recipe card.
Instructions
- Step 1: Wash the peppers under cold, clean running water.
- Step 2: Remove the stalks from the peppers. Chop them up into smaller pieces, seeds-and-all, and set aside.
- Step 3: Peel and crush the garlic cloves, then add to the peppers.
- Step 4: Add the peppers and garlic to a sterilized fermentation jar or no-reactive vessel, like stainless steel or food-safe plastic.
- Step 5: Top the ingredients off with clean drinkable water, making a note of the total weight (in grams) of ingredients and water combined.
- Step 6: Multiply that number by 0.02 to get the amount of salt necessary in grams. Dissolve the salt in the water, then pour it back into the fermentation vessel with the ingredients being fermented.
- Step 7: Leave a bit of room at the top to accommodate for gas production during fermentation. Place a layer of food-safe plastic or a steamed cabbage leaf on top to seal it off from the air. Close with a rubber glove or fermentation jar lid.
- Step 8: Ferment at room temperature for up to 5 days, or until you are happy with the tanginess. Monitor the fermentation process daily and burp the jar if the gas has built up. To prevent a mess, you can place the fermentation jar into a tray in case the contents bubble out a touch.
- Step 9: Once you are happy with the sourness and tang of the ferment, get rid of the brine or use it in other preparations like marinades. Add the sugar, vinegar, and xanthan gum if using. These are all optional but highly recommended for an authentic Sriracha-style hot sauce.
- Step 10: Blend the sauce with a hand blender or high-speed blender until you have a smooth pulp.
- Step 11: A normal home blender will not be able to blend the seeds, so you can leave it chunky or pass it through a fine mesh sieve. The pressed-out remains can be dried and ground up into a delicious seasoning powder.
- Step 12: If you want to adjust the seasoning or consistency then blend it once more adding some salt, sugar, vinegar, or xanthan. Otherwise, simply store it in a sealable bottle like a swing top in the fridge.
Video
Variations
- Fruit - You can replace 20% of the peppers with fruit like peach, mango or pineapple. The extra sugar from the fruit will make the hot sauce ferment a touch quicker and result in a more tangy sauce but, one with a delicious fruity finish.
- Ginger - Add a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger root when the sauce is fermented and ready to blend. Fermenting the ginger itself will not deliver the best results and you lose the freshness of the ginger that way.
- Lemongrass and lime leaf - As for ginger, lemongrass and lime leaf are best added when blending the sauce. You don't need much. Two tablespoons of chopped lemongrass or 8 leaves fresh lime leaves is all it takes. Especially good with baked or barbecued fish.
It's worth noting that less is more when it comes to fermentation. It's better to stick to two flavors instead of combining lots of different ones. The fermentation process changes the original flavor of the produce so do not expect a hot sauce with peaches to taste like a fresh peach.
If you want peach flavor, add it once fermentation is done. You then blend the sauce and make final adjustments.
Tips for success
- Equipment - Use only no reactive equipment like glass, ceramic, food-safe plastic or stainless steel.
- Temperature - Ferment at room temperature. About 21 °C or 70 °F. Colder and the ferment will take longer. Hotter and the ferment will take quicker. Too cold (below 10 °C or 50 °F, and it will ferment very slowly. Too hot, above 28 °C or 82 °F, fermentation will be too quick and produce unwanted flavors.
- Pro level - If you have a vacuum sealer at home. Vacuum seal the mix in a double-sealed bag. It's clean, easy and reliably keeps the air out. You also know how the ferment progresses by looking at the bag as it inflates due to gas production.
- Common sense - If it smells strange or has green, fuzzy mold do not try to save it. It's better to be safe than sorry. Throw it out and start over.
Safety
- Gloves - When handling hot peppers it's always best to wear latex or nitrile gloves to protect your skin and avoid touching other parts of your body which could get extremely uncomfortable, especially with hotter peppers. If you don't have gloves then wash your hands often and never touch your face or other body parts while preparing your hot sauce.
- Cleanliness - Wash your equipment and work surfaces before starting. A tiny amount of bad bacteria can easily take hold and ruin a good ferment. Soap, hot water and a thorough cleaning will do. Only taste with clean utensils, and don't double dip.
Storage instructions
When done, pour into glass bottles. Close tightly and store in the fridge. It will keep well for up to 6 months, although it's best flavorwise for up to 3 months.
Do not leave it out at room temperature, as it is an unpasteurized ferment, and it will continue fermenting and cause bottles to explode if left out for too long.
Freeze for longer storage without affecting the texture, flavor or color.
Frequently asked questions
Generally, you can expect to ferment your hot sauce for anywhere between 3 to 7 days. Taste it regularly to determine when it reaches your preferred level of tanginess. Temperature plays the biggest role in speed, although quicker does not deliver a better result. Aim for 4 days.
The best way to determine if your hot sauce is fermented enough is by tasting it. You'll notice a tangy, slightly sour flavor as the fermentation progresses. It's important to taste test daily.
A cloudy brine is often a normal part of the fermentation process. It's typically caused by the fermentation process itself. It doesn't necessarily indicate a problem. However, if the cloudiness is accompanied by an unpleasant odor or mold, it's best to discard the ferment.
The brine can be used for marinades or added in small amounts as a starter culture for new ferments, but it's best to start a new brine with every new batch. The salt content will be off and fermenting the same batch will result in strange musty flavors.
Yes, by heating it to 180°F (82°C) for at least 10 minutes. However, while this makes it shelf-stable when vinegar is added, it will also change the flavor and texture of the sauce as well as kill all the gut-friendly probiotics. For long storage, it's best to freeze the hot sauce unpasteurized.
The easiest thing to do is to blend in some bell peppers or fruit. However, if the sauce is extremely hot for your taste you might have to make another batch with mild peppers and add a little bit of the over spicy sauce to taste. You could also use It sparingly by only adding a few drops.
Common fermentation issues and how to fix them
- Mold: The most common issue, but often easily managed. A thin white film, called kahm yeast can usually be skimmed off and your fermented will be fine. However, if it's fuzzy mold, or the ferment smells off, it's best to discard it.
- Slow Fermentation: Temperature plays a big role in fermentation speed. Warmer temperatures(above room temperature) speed up the process while cooler temperatures(below room temperature) will significantly slow it down. If your hot sauce ferments within 2 days, moving it to a cooler spot is best. If by day 3 there's still no sign of fermentation then move it to a warmer place.
- Off Flavors: Sometimes, ferments can develop unwanted flavors. It might be due to contamination or over-fermentation. Trust your senses. If it doesn't taste right or it smells funny, it's best to throw it out and start over.
Other fermentation recipes
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Recipe
Fermented Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 900 g (2 lb) red peppers - note 1
- 600 g (2 ½ cups) filtered water
- 100 g (¾ cups) garlic - peeled and crushed
- 30 g (2 tablespoon) sea salt - note 2
- 50 g (3 tablespoon) rice vinegar - optional (note 3)
- 50 g (4 tablespoon) granulated sugar - optional (note 4)
- 1 g (⅓ teaspoon) xanthan gum - optional (note 5)
Instructions
- Wash the pepers under cold, clean running water, then remove the stalks from them. Chop them up into smaller pieces, seeds-and-all, and set aside.
- Peel and crush the garlic cloves, then add to the peppers.
- Add the peppers and garlic to a sterilized fermentation jar or no-reactive vessel, like stainless steel or food-safe plastic.Top the ingredients off with clean drinkable water, making a note of the total weight (in grams) of ingredients and water combined.
- Multiply that number by 0.02 to get the amount of salt necessary in grams. Dissolve the salt in the water, then pour it back into the fermentation vessel with the ingredients being fermented. Leave a bit of room at the top to accommodate for gas production during fermentation.
- Place a layer of food-safe plastic or a steamed cabbage leaf on top to seal it off from the air. Close with a rubber glove or fermentation jar lid.
- Ferment at room temperature for up to 5 days, or until you are happy with the tanginess. Monitor the fermentation process daily and burp the jar if the gas has built up. To prevent a mess, you can place the fermentation jar into a tray in case the contents bubble out a touch.
- Once you are happy with the sourness and tang of the ferment, get rid of the brine or use it in other preparations like marinades. Add the sugar, vinegar, and xanthan gum if using. These are all optional but highly recommended for an authentic Sriracha-style hot sauce.
- Blend the sauce with a hand blender or high-speed blender until you have a smooth pulp. A normal home blender will not be able to blend the seeds, so you can leave it chunky or pass it through a fine mesh sieve. The pressed-out remains can be dried and ground up into a delicious seasoning powder.
- If you want to adjust the seasoning or consistency then blend it once more adding some salt, sugar, vinegar, or xanthan. Otherwise, simply store it in a sealable bottle like a swing top in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- I use Cayenne peppers for my sauce, but experiment with pepper varieties, to find your favorite balance of heat and flavor.
- Use a natural salt like sea salt or rock salt but try to avoid iodized salt. Do not use salt alternatives as they won't work.
- Classic Sriracha has rice vine vinegar added, but you can skip it if you want or use another type of vinegar like apple cider.
- Sugar is added at the end of fermentation to add balance. Do not add it at the start of fermentation as the microbes will consume it, and you'll have an overactive and sour hot sauce.
- xanthan gum is an easy-to-find natural thickener that will keep the sauce nice and homogenous. If you don't have it or don't mind the sauce separating, then simply skip it and give the sauce a shake before using.
- Gloves - When handling hot peppers it's always best to wear latex or nitrile gloves to protect your skin and avoid touching other parts of your body which could get extremely uncomfortable, especially with hotter peppers. If you don't have gloves then wash your hands often and never touch your face or other body parts while preparing your hot sauce.
- Cleanliness - Wash your equipment and work surfaces before starting. A tiny amount of bad bacteria can easily take hold and ruin a good ferment. Soap, hot water and a thorough cleaning will do. Only taste with clean utensils, and don't double dip.
Claudia says
This was a recipe of firsts for us. Our first fermented hot sauce and our first almost entirely from seed to bottle final product. We used a mix of peppers we started from seed: shishito, gochugaru (in both green and red stages) and a few jalapeños that were WAY hotter than they had any business being. We used store bought garlic though :P. I think this is going to be our go to technique for fermented hot sauces. The process was way simpler than I anticipated and produced a powerfully funky sauce! It's a little too hot for me on it's own but it's been an excellent ingredient in soups, ramen and chili.
Jason.M says
Turned out great! Used a mix of Thai and Serrano peppers.
Sirid says
Hi there, I'd love to dive into this recipe. I've been drying small Thai chili peppers (HOT!) all growing season. Can I use dried peppers without sacrificing flavor? If so, should I rehydrate them in hot water?
Charlé Visser says
Sure thing and use the soaking water as part of the liquid required
Eve says
Hi, Charlé! I made a small batch of this a couple weeks ago with a couple Carolina Reaper chillies added to it. It's pretty hot! And it has a wonderful fermented flavour. We love it a lot.
By the way, my husband and I really enjoyed the pork droewors. They were fantastic! Maybe I'll make your beef ones soon.
Romilla says
Hi this looks the best chillie sauce recipe so far. Just need to adjust the quantity.
Can u mail me a small quantity recipe please
Charlé Visser says
You can adjust the servings down in the recipe card for a small batch
Anna says
Really great and simple recipe. It makes a fresh and lively hot sauce. I made it with red Serranos and apple cider vinegar — delicious. I will try it with jalapeños for a less spicy option. It’s nice to watch the colour deepen during the fermentation process.
Charlé Visser says
Great feedback. Happy you liked it. The wonder of fermentation it's so easily adjustable!
Andre says
I like it real hot so used half birds eye and half Serrano peppers. First time fermenting and this was very easy to make because of the clear instructions and good info. Came out even better than than real sriracha sauce